Supermarket giant pushes mobile loyalty
Card-based scheme migrated to smartphones
UK supermarket giant Tesco is expanding their card-based loyalty scheme Clubcard to smart phones.
The Java-based application has an interface with a scannable barcode on-screen that links to the holder’s existing loyalty card account if they have one. The customers download the loyalty application to their phone to generate the barcode for shops to scan.
Customers have to be existing Clubcard members to join the smart phone scheme.
The AllAboutSymbian website reported that the application currently works with phones that use the Symbian operating system and iPhones but will soon be available on other systems such as Google Android.
Tesco’s move indicates the UK’s biggest supermarket is placing an increasing emphasis on technical innovation to drive sales. Following this month’s surprise announcement of the retirement next year of CEO Sir Terry Leahy, it has selected chief innovation officer Sir Philip Clarke to replace him.
The loyalty application was developed by Tesco IT worker Nick Lansley, who said he developed it for the iPhone first as “I have an iPhone so it seemed like a good place to start.”
Fast food chain Subway has launched a similar mobile phone-based scheme that will allow customers at its 1,400 stories in the UK and Ireland to collect loyalty points and redeem free products via the 2D barcode on their smartphone.